Forbidden
by Lady Beastmaster
Summary: Set after Slayers Next, A peek into the mind of Zelas-metallium, her life, her companions, her past and possible future.
1. The mind of a Mazoku

Forbidden

**_A Slayers Fanfiction by Lady Beastmaster. _**

****

_A look at the life of the Monster race after Slayers Next. _

_This work does not strictly adhere to the Slayers storyline and is based on speculation with a sprinkling of imagination.  _

* * *

_**Chapter 1 **_

_A look inside the mind of Zelas-Metallium_

* * *

_"Forbidden… It is…Forbidden… To show compassion to them…"_

_And yet, she had._

Zelas-Metallium idly recounted days long gone, sitting outside watching the day dawn on Wolfpack Island as she awaited news on Hellmaster Phibrizzo's plan. Even without having received any news, The Greater Beast was able to determine one thing. But the very fact the world continued its very existence. Hellmaster's plan had not succeeded, or was yet to come to be. Either way, everything should have been dealt with by now. Those incompetent messengers she'd sent whom failed to return before she'd become impatient would be made an example of if they dared return. Likewise, if they were too cowardly to return they would be punished. Their fate was sealed. 

Yes, the Dark Lord was desperate for news. Yet rather than look like she was pining over this, she helped herself to another glass of wine offered to her by one of her Minions. Taking a sip and looking down into the dark liquid she spoke softly to only a reflection of her glowing eyes. 

"What is going on out there?" The reflection shimmered and faded in response, yet her eyes glowed more intensely with anger. "Damn it all! Answer me!" She spat at the glass, then cocking her head to one side waiting to hear something. The following three minutes of silence only reassured her hopefully incorrect instincts. 

Zelas knew she could rely on one thing, which eased her temper enough to raise the wine glass to her lips and take in the liquid. Such a human habit she had acquired. 

Once again, she didn't want her current mood to show through to her underlings… The cause of it was a secret of hers. A secret she'd share with only one other being, if and when the time was right. Finishing her wine, Zelas' slender tanned form tossed the one glass aside where it was promptly caught by one of her underlings, as she turned her back on the brightening day to enter her home. A change of location would mean she could do her fretting without being disturbed. Unless that disturbance was news of course, she would not forgive anyone.

As she barked commands ensuring that her bath would be prepared perfectly and that she would not be disturbed, once again Zelas found herself considering her own reasoning behind a craving of small physical creature comforts.  Good Food, drink, companionship, her keenness for that which was sensual.  

Upon shooing her underlings, Mazoku and Wolves alike from her chambers, Zelas shed her white dress and considered how idealistic her human form was. Everything was the right size and shape, in the right place… just how a human should want to perceive her. Out of the entire race, Zelas' imitation of a human body was the most accurate and she was aware and proud of this.  Brushing through her hair a few times, Zelas picked a cherry out of a nearby bowl and bit into it thoughtfully as she slipped herself into her luxurious bath.  

 Picking up one of five ready poured glasses of wine from her bath side, Zelas mind lapsed back to concentrating on the problem at hand. Concluding that wolf messengers were better than Mazoku ones,  as she reached over for a sponge. That sponge turned out to be a wolf tail. Zelas was not amused at pulling the wolf into the bath with her. The seemingly slight woman picked up the creature and hurled it out of the window with ease, settling back down not even breaking a sweat. Waving her hand, her bowl of cherries joined the wine glasses at the bath side. 

She sighed and sunk into her bath to her chin. Something was up… It had to be. But these little frets we very un-mazoku-like, the Dark Lord mentally scolded herself. Not that she could do anything to change that. This was the path she had chosen all those centuries ago.  

The silver haired Lady's thoughts flitted to her siblings. There was Phibrizzo, who by careful means of her own little agenda, should not exist by now. There was Chaos Dragon Gaav… who had been 'cursed' with a human rebirth, also news of Gaav's destruction had reached Zelas. Zelas couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Should Gaav had come out victorious from his encounter with Phibrizzo, life would have been far more amusing to say the least. 

That left the other two Dark Lords, Dynast, cold hearted, lonesome and boring in the North, and Deep Sea Dolphin, insane and completely alone in the Demons Seas to the west of Zelas' domain. She didn't like Deep Sea Dolphin much come to think of it. Her very existence was enough to bore into Zelas. She didn't have to do anything in particular. 

Unlike them, Zelas found amusement and pleasure in the human world. That was the difference between her and them. And that was why she acted this way. 

Choosing this path must have been a mistake. As much a she loved things to go perfectly to her agenda, there was nothing more she liked than a gamble that could greatly improve the situation. This was still undecided on whether or not it was for better or for worse. But then, if she hadn't made her choices, she'd be like the others.  Destroyed? Insane? Bored? They didn't appeal much the Greater Beast's tastes. 

Zelas thought back to her decision. All it takes is one human.  What ever had possessed her Mazoku mind to do that? To act in such a foolish manner… Why, perhaps she had been drunk. Wasn't that before the days of the drinking Zelas? She shook her head and climbed out of the cooling bath, wrapping a towel around her form, as a human would. 

Draping herself over the window and looking out at sunny Wolfpack Island, silver hair shining more golden in the light, Zelas sighed quietly to herself. It was now mid-morning and still no news.  She had instincts telling her to disregard any instincts that gave her the impression of no news being bad news. 

The silver haired woman stayed where she was just looking out with piercing eyes as the tropical sunlight dried her from the bath. She'd better hear something soon, or there would be trouble. For all parties involved.    


	2. Object of Concern

Forbidden  
  
A Slayers Fanfiction by Lady Beastmaster.  
  
A look at the life of the Monster race after Slayers Next. This work does not strictly adhere to the Slayers storyline and is based on speculation with a sprinkling of imagination.   
  
Chapter 2  
  
Object of Concern   
  
Zelas' thoughtfulness slowly died off come the mid afternoon, when she decided it would be better to exchange her towel for one of her evening gowns. She'd planned to wear that tonight as they quietly celebrated their victory it had been planned so she would wear it. Holding the dress up and studying the carefully embroidered detail on the luxurious material, she slipped it over her head. Her keen hearing caught the sound of someone pushing the door open carefully. They were creeping into the room behind her.  
  
"Close it." She snapped without turning, tugging her gown down properly at the front. The back still needed to be down up, but there was someone who had just come in to do that for her right? The door shut equally quietly and carefully. "Well. Go on."  
  
The tone in Zelas voice demanded that the other Mazoku to speak to her, yet she gestured to the lace up back of her dress.  
  
"Everything went as you predicted it would Juu-ou sama." The other Mazoku was her purple haired priest, Xelloss, who was now expertly lacing the back of his superior's dress. "Hellmaster was destroyed. Unfortunately I."  
  
"Was too busy to respond to me in case you met the same fate." Zelas cut in as she released her hair down her back. "Or incase Phibrizzo didn't want to go down alone. Well, in that respect. No, you did well then." Zelas forgot her previous temper as Xelloss pre-empted her and handed over a hairbrush.  
  
"May I say how nice you look today Juu-ou sama?"  
  
"With my hair like this Xel-kun?" Zelas turned and winked. "Really easy to please, aren't you?"  
  
"Only if it's you doing the pleasing." The trickster priest effortlessly turned Zelas' comment back against her. "Others aren't quite as pleasing to the eye, you know?"  
  
"Xel-kun. You have things to attend to. Go. Oh, send someone here to clean up." Zelas jerked her thumb in the direction of her bathroom to indicate what she meant.  
  
Xelloss nodded once then teleported out of the room to attend to a few errands, leaving Zelas with a mirror, magically styling her hair in to many impressive shapes and styles. The greatest achievement bearing somewhat of a resemblance to a small village in the aftermath of a Dragon-slave.  
  
Eventually Zelas settled on an elegant, yet most of her hair was left to flow down her back type hairstyle. She laughed to herself a little gingerly thinking back over her earlier worries. How pointless it was that she had worried herself over such a trivial thing! Once again she found herself accusing herself of being human-like inside. Not a good thing. Her plans for the evening would take her mind off these worrying matters, more so than sitting in front of a mirror sculpting her hair would.  
  
"I suppose its fortunate for me that this doesn't happen very often." The Dark Lord thought to herself. "I should have thought over better before I did that. But, I don't regret this. The best gamble ever. Yes!" Zelas didn't need to convince herself of that really. She knew that inside she knew that she'd made the right choice. Adding the finishing touches her outfit, Zelas finally felt ready to leave on her night out among the humans.  
  
"Xel-kun!" She called before vanishing from her chambers to reappear in the twilight outside a casino. Shortly she was joined by Xelloss, dressed to match her.  
  
"Why don't we do this more often?" He asked as they entered the casino together.  
  
"Otherwise, it would cease to be a treat." Zelas smiled showing her canine teeth. "If I spoilt you, how could I treat you?"  
  
"You'd find some way." And with that remark the trickster priest was very obviously eying the Dark Lord in a way he should not.  
  
Zelas twitched a little then pushed Xelloss away from her. "Watch where you're looking." She snapped, but not in an unfriendly way. Zelas enjoyed these little exchanges of banter, but sometimes, Xelloss broke human etiquette. That was not acceptable at the moment. Perhaps it would be later in the evening. Zelas shot a glance over to her priest, he was obviously aware of having over stepped the boundary. Which served to amuse Zelas further.  
  
After an evening of entertainment the two monsters were sat in an exclusive restaurant enjoying a meal each. Zelas was hoping that her rather good spirited companion wouldn't take it upon himself to start flicking food about like last time. She had retaliated of course and soon enough they'd both found themselves covered head to toe in food and asked to leave the restaurant. Then the Dark Lord had a surprise trip into a river, of course the idea had been to 'help clean up'. That had actually been quite fun. Little amusements such as that didn't happen unless on one of their outings to the world of humans. Yes, she did like being here. All that worrying she'd done earlier, simply over the fact that this evening would have been a lone outing, much like her regular ones. Had anybody around guessed what she'd been thinking? Hopefully not.  
  
Suddenly awakened from her thoughtfulness by something, she looked down at where her missing plate should have been, then across at Xelloss punting her food around looking for something worth stealing.  
  
"Welcome back." He said handing the plate back. "Something on your mind?"  
  
"I was just trying to fathom out if you were going to throw something at me tonight." Zelas replied with a wry smile. "I happen to like it here and would like to be able to come again."  
  
"No worries. This stuff is too good to throw, even at you."  
  
"Thanks." The silver haired one replied flatly, unable to decide whether that comment was an insult to her, a compliment to the food, both, or an odd compliment to herself.  
  
"Welcome. You are planning on eating that right?" Xelloss had finished a while back whilst Zelas had been busy thinking. "I can't throw anything at you, it's all gone."  
  
"Quiet." That was not a request to her evening companion, that was an order from superior to subordinate. Zelas had pre-empted Xelloss and so cut him off from asking once again what was on her mind. She did relinquish some of her meal to him, after picking out what she did want.  
  
Eating in the silence that followed, Xelloss remained cheerful no sign of if he was miffed by the sudden change of atmosphere and Zelas quietly enjoyed her meal and fund herself once more lapsing into thought. This was more of a, how would humans call it? Nostalgia perhaps. Tonight reminded her of that night for some reason. 


	3. How Zelas Learned About Humanity

Forbidden

**_A Slayers Fanfiction by Lady Beastmaster. _**

****

_A look at the life of the Monster race after Slayers Next. _

_This work does not strictly adhere to the Slayers storyline and is based on speculation with a sprinkling of imagination.  _

* * *

**_Chapter 3_**

How Zelas Learned the Nature of Humans 

* * *

Something about the atmosphere of the evening, perhaps the food, perhaps the décor, or even the company definitely reminded Juu-ou of events past. Many people believe that Mazoku come into the world ready to destroy it, armed with everything they'd ever need to know. 

As Zelas knew from once being so naïve herself, this wasn't true.  Knowledge and power were one thing, but then she lacked experience. Which was what she considered the most vital thing now.  There was no use in being one of the most powerful individuals in the world or even all of existence, having the intelligence required to use this power, but not knowing how or when. 

For a very long time Zelas' hobbies were the centre of her attention, much to the disapproval of her 'siblings'. 

A favourite pastime of Zelas' involved her favourite type of food, as fresh as any Mazoku could ever want it. She started by changing herself in to a rather inconspicuous yet extremely cute little wolf pup. Leading small curious children out, then shifting form into a much bigger beast. How Zelas relished their pure terror at the sight of her deadly fangs. 

Quite by accident, she discovered then the extra more refined tastes of parents fearing their children's safety. Zelas soon learnt to draw this out into a long game. Leading the children away, then awaiting the parent's arrival. Sometimes she let the kid go and hunted down the adult… and then the child. Other times Zelas would settle for the distraught humans seeing their beloved shredded before their very eyes. It was in that manner she also noticed the human concept of 'love' between adults.  

The young Dark Lord took time to study the carcasses remaining from her games. The ones with more curves tended to have an interesting effect on the other type, who were usually protective to the curvaceous ones. Zelas spent many weeks studying the humans closely, until she felt ready to try imitating one. That would allow her to see how they interacted with each other, how they thought and therefore how to get better meals and games from them. 

The first time Zelas set foot in a human village in human form, she had a male form and claimed to be a traveller from far away. She stole her appearance from a distant village, to assure accuracy and that they would not recognise her. 

The humans she met greeted Zelas with kindness. She stayed among them and learned about eating, drinking and human compassion. The very idea they'd look after someone who just turned up was not only laughable, but also the reasoning behind it was incomprehensible. 

Zelas spent enough time to study the interactions between males and females. She learnt that the females had the ability to be very manipulative toward their male peers. Before long she had discarded her male human form for a female one, to discover exactly what exactly the females had to offer that caused this.  

Spending nearly an entire lifetime in various female forms, Zelas did indeed discover a few things, and the emotions relating to them. The crafty Dark Lord learned to lead unsuspecting humans into a relationship and experimented with breaking their hearts in various ways. Being who she was, Zelas could dedicate years to this hobby.  

Her 'Siblings' looked down on this 'hobby' of Zelas'. Whilst she argued that learning abut humans would come in useful one day, both she and the other Dark Lords knew this was not why she done this. 

On one summer's day in the village Johana where Zelas had taken residence for a while, a mysterious visitor arrived with long flowing blue hair dressed also in blue. She had a calming aura to the people around her.

"Anyone would think you want to be a human." Kai-ou said off-handedly to Zelas who was perched on the edge of a fountain. 

"It's not that." Zelas growled back at her 'older sister'. "I find them interesting."

"Fascinating more like." Deep Sea Dolphin laughed and flicked her hair over one shoulder. "You'll end up staying here forever and ever… There's reasons certain human concepts are forbidden."

"Ah, shut up." Zelas retorted. "I'll never fall victim to their weaknesses. I'll never fall in… love." She pulled a face of disgust on the last word. 

"Of course you won't." Dolphin nodded to herself. "But I bet you wanna." 

"Of course I don't!" She snapped back. "What business do you have with me anyway… just leave." 

The older Mazoku in her beautiful female form winked at a young black haired man walking past. He stopped and waved at the two ladies before walking past. Zelas felt a little flame of rage rising. That man was **_her _**prey.  

"If you don't have a particular reason to be here and bugging me, then leave." Zelas said firmly.  "And quickly." 

"What are you going to do with that one? Destroy his family? Maim him? Throw him to the wolves?" Dolphin giggled some. "Oh Zelas… Are you going to keep that one?" 

"Go to hell." Zelas leapt to her feet and walked away from her annoying 'relative', who remained behind swirling the water in the base of the fountain with one finger. 

"Ooooooh Zelas?" She called after a moments thought.

"What?" Zelas turned to be hit in the chest by some small blue spell. It didn't hurt her but, Zelas knew Deep Sea Dolphin hadn't fired it at her just to see pretty light effects. 

"Enjoy." Dolphin smirked some more and teleported out.

Zelas glared at the spot her 'sister' had been for a few moments, as if the glare could actually inflict some damage on the absent Deep Sea Dolphin. What spell had Dolphin put on her? It could be anything… perhaps it would be best to stay away from the humans until she knew what it was. 

Interrupting her thoughts, a hand was laid on her shoulder.

"Miss Zelas?" A soft, kind, male voice.

She twisted herself to face the speaker, the black haired man from earlier, her current prey. She'd only spotted him quite some while ago as he was stealing firewood from various houses around for his own home. Old enough to be called a man, and yet, with the face and mind of a boy, Zelas had resolved to herself to crush the spirit of this cheerful magic apprentice.

"Ah…" She stopped and gulped. This wasn't right, suddenly, Zelas felt nervous. What had just happened to her? Something was very wrong. The fluttering inside her and sudden loss of words were almost unbearable. Her 'prey' guided her to the nearest bench and helped her sit down. 

Deep Sea Dolphin sniggered to herself from her treetop viewing post. 

Once Zelas had started to get over her first shock she was sipping gratefully from a bottle of water, or so she had her companion believe.

"Thank y…" The Greater Beast's hearing unexpectedly picked up on something. Flying in toward them. She looked up and to her right. Yes, lesser demons, called here by Deep Sea Dolphin it looked like. Most likely just to ruin her fun. Before she could say a word her human partner had drawn his sword and charged some of the beasts. 

He had jumped up to protect her. Although he was doing well at the moment there was only a matter of time before her victim was taken away from her by Dolphin's lesser demons. But, the fight was good to watch and there'd be more prey for her. 

Zelas stood her ground and watched the fight with a fix grin, until one of the monsters landed a hit on the man. Suddenly disturbed at the idea of his death Zelas destroyed the demons with no more than a wave of her hand. 

"You're… one of them too…" He waved his sword at her menacingly, dark blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight. "You're one of…"

Zelas bade it no thought as she destroyed the annoying human in front of her. Then she took a second look at him and ran over to his body. 

"Your aim was off…." He commented to her as she crouched beside him.

"You're dying…?" Zelas didn't want this strange human to go though… Why? 

"Tell me something Miss Zelas… your kind don't like to be among us… why are you?"

"I… was curious." She admitted to him, as she spoke Deep Sea Dolphin's little spell lifted off her and dissipated into the air. 

"I would have taught you…" he whispered as his eyes closed slowly. 

"No… no… You can…" Zelas hesitantly lifted and embraced him. In a flash of green light he was fully recovered.  "Live…." 

Why had she just done that? Even Zelas didn't know. And she didn't like that fact one bit. 


	4. Zelas' choice

Forbidden A Slayers Fanfiction by Lady Beastmaster. A look at the life of the Monster race after Slayers Next. This work does not strictly adhere to the Slayers storyline and is based on speculation with a sprinkling of imagination.  
  
[pic] Chapter 4  
  
Zelas' choice   
  
Zelas didn't return to the human village for a while after that event. She'd saved the life of a human.for what? The idea of his death triggered some alien feeling within her. It didn't occur to her for quite some time that her odd reaction had just been a result of what Deep Sea Dolphin had done to her that day. But the events had begun to fuel her curiosity about humans even more.  
  
What Zelas did know was that humans gained pleasure from certain activities. Some foods, feelings and actions. What she did notice was that unlike her Mazoku siblings humans did not get weary of these things. Perhaps it was the Mazoku's long life span that lay at fault there, but it was something different and new, which Zelas wished to comprehend.  
  
She also was concerned over her reactions to the young man before. Sure, maybe she'd been acting funny because of a spell on her. What the young Dark Lord didn't know was whether that particular spell was still on her.  
  
Zelas returned to the village of Johana a year and half later, where she was greeted almost immediately by Kiba, her black haired friend, who was sat on the edge of the village fountain sipping from a flask.  
  
"Well, now if it isn't Miss Zelas!" Kiba was obviously happy to see her and he got to his feet and offered his flask to her.  
  
Zelas to the flask and sipped the sweet liquid. It tasted as all other physical substance did to her. "Kiba, why is it you like this stuff so much?" She asked licking her lips to see if she could work it out.  
  
"Why is it you can drink all that wine in one go Miss Zelas?" He asked, taking the flask back and holding it upside down above his head, catching any droplets that had been spared from Silver haired lady.  
  
"What? And you mean you're saying that because you can't?" Silly human hadn't changed much at all. "Well I can." Kiba smiled brightly. "It just makes me act more, well, you've seen it! How alcohol makes humans become violent, stupid, depressed, angry and just generally make fools out of themselves."  
  
"Which I. find very amusing." Zelas shook her head. She'd almost said 'Which I don't understand'. This concept of being intoxicated did seem to be liked by the humans. But why?  
  
The human nodded thoughtfully. "You know miss. You should try it sometime." The Silver haired Mazoku shook her head again. That wasn't possible anyway, but to try it sometime? Perhaps it was fun. Yet Kiba interrupted her thoughts again. "I remember how we were before you left so suddenly. I'd like to show you something later. Would you meet me for dinner?"  
  
"Dinner? Of course." Zelas replied automatically. He was still an idiot. dwelling on the false affection she'd shown him so long ago. He'd be so crushed. What fun. Thinking this, Zelas' lips curled into a slight smile. "Same place as last time, Kiba?"  
  
Kiba nodded. "And meet me there. It's a surprise for you. And you only!" With that he turned and began walking away.  
  
"Can't you give me a little clue Kiba?" After all, she had to play along. "Tell me something about it."  
  
Kiba turned and smiled. "Okay.. Something about the surprise. it's a secret!" and with that he quickened his pace to walk off.  
  
A secret? Zelas was amused by that response and committed it to her memory for her future use. What should she do now?  
  
.What was the surprise anyway? And surely Kiba knew what she really was. so. what could it be? Perhaps it wasn't something good. After all, she knew he could be downright sneaky and dangerous.however, he was just a silly little human. He couldn't do her any harm at all!  
  
Zelas wandered off to where she used to stay. She had to play her role right. Pick something to wear, do her hair and face. Or at least pretend to spend hours doing so. After all, that was one of the advantages of being a high level Mazoku. Before it was time for her to go to receive her surprise, Zelas engaged in her old hobby of shifting into a cute little cub and leading kids away so she could scare them half to death before shredding them to pieces in front of their parents. Once her Mazoku appetite was satisfied, which took a while, since Zelas is a very big Mazoku, she vanished and reappeared in her chosen outfit and hairstyle for her meeting with Kiba that evening. Zelas arrived at the restaurant at the same place and same time as they'd previously arranged. This time she arrived alone and found herself waiting at a reserved table, occasionally ordering food out of sheer boredom. A hour later. and still no Kiba. A few more minutes then she was going to leave.  
  
As typical as always, Kiba turned up just as she was about to go. He was dressed oddly, in robes. He carried with him a small flask and a box. "I'm sorry I'm sorry." he gasped, obviously in a hurry. "I had to stay late over at the place I've been doing my sorcery apprenticeship. Really needed to finish this project before tonight. and well. I done it!"  
  
"What project is it?"  
  
"Secret Project!" Kiba replied. "Let us eat first and then I'll explain."  
  
"Alright." And now, Zelas was dubious regarding Kiba's surprise for her. Something to do with his project? The two were almost silent as they ate that night, whilst Zelas pondered what Kiba was up to. When she'd finished eating she looked across at her companion, who'd been watching her.  
  
"Don't you wish you could have enjoyed that?"  
  
Zelas didn't know what to say.. 


End file.
